“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”
1 Corinthians 9:22 (NIV)
The heart of Paul’s teaching is to become all things to all people, in order to win some people for Christ. His thinking parallels the image Jesus shared about scattering our seed on all ground, to see which seeds take root and bear fruit. To become all things to all people is to show respect to what is sacred to people of other faiths and cultures.
Different faiths have different holy days on the calendar. For Christians, of all denominations, Easter week is their most sacred time. Islam’s holy days occur during the month of Ramadan, and the major Jewish holy days are The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and Passover. Hindus have the holiday of Diwali, a Festival of Lights that celebrates good over evil. Showing respect to what other faiths hold sacred, is one of many ways to become all things to all people.
Jesus mingled with many gentiles who had beliefs contrary to His Jewish culture, but He did it with gentleness, truth, and respect. I found an interesting example of being all things to all people, in a hair salon that I have been going to every two months. Rania, the salon owner, is a non religious Moslem woman from Jordan, who is beautiful both inside and out. She welcomes clients of all cultures, including orthodox Jewish and Moslem women, who both adhere to the rule of never showing their hair in public. Rania has a special room for them with a big curtain that is pulled closed to give them the privacy they require while having their hair styled.
She is not only sensitive to Jewish and Moslem religious clientele, but has employees who are Christians. One of her stylists is a devout Christian from Iraq, who has personally witnessed the persecution and suffering of Christians at the hands of Islamic extremism. Yet, she works in unity with Moslems, Jews and other Christians in the salon. Arabic is a common language to all of them, but they speak fluent English as well.
I am always amazed at how Rania has created a melting pot of people from faiths that don’t usually blend well together. Her salon is a perfect example of how the world could be. Rania has become all things to all people, as Paul described, even though she never read a Bible in her life.
I learned how to say thank you in Arabic, so after my hair appointment was done, I turned to Rania and said, ‘Shukran’ for the first time. She was so delighted that she hugged me. If only the whole world could let go of all hatred, racism, and bigotry, what a beautiful world it could be.
I once had an experience of briefly becoming all things to all people. As a volunteer for the chaplain ministry at the hospital, they occasionally ask us to escort a rabbi during a Jewish holiday, to help him find the patient rooms that are on his visitation list.
I was scheduled to meet a Rabbi that day but instead I met two young men in their early twenties, who were in training to become Rabbis. Their visitation in hospitals and Nursing Homes is part of their clinical training.
I could see that they were religious Orthodox Jews, wearing black hats and suits, with tassels hanging down from a prayer garment worn under their street clothes, called Tzitzit, prescribed by Mosaic law. As I glanced at their tassels hanging down, I thought of the woman in the gospel story who touched the ‘fringe’ or ‘tassels’ of Jesus’ garment and she was instantly healed. I had a mental image of Jesus wearing Tzitzit in observing His faith culture.
Anyway, my job was to escort these young Rabbis in training, to every room they needed to visit. I also showed them how to put on the protective equipment, like gowns, masks and gloves if required, before entering a patient room. I waited in the hallway outside each room, until they were ready to go on to the next. They read from the Torah scroll, which contains the first five books of the Bible in Hebrew, and concluded with a prayer and a worship song.
When we returned to the chapel office, they proudly unrolled their Torah scroll to show it to me. It was beautiful and as I looked at the Hebrew script, I remembered how in 1984, I studied some Hebrew with a Berlitz book and tapes, to prepare for a trip to the holy land. Though I can only read Hebrew at a first grade level, I wanted to have a little fun with the students, so while the scroll was open, I started to sound out the letters of each word on the first line of the scroll, reading from right to left, as best I could.
They looked at each other in amazement, and I just laughed, telling them that I can read it, but I don’t always know what it means. They were so shocked that a gentile woman could read a sacred Torah scroll. For a brief moment I felt like I became all things to those young men, by reading their sacred scroll. We thanked each other for a great day and then said our good byes.
Paul inspires us to become all things to all people, and one way to do it, is by respecting a person’s culture and faith. It’s up to us as followers of Jesus, to be all things to all people, to plant the seeds of mutual respect, and then let God bring the growth. It’s a way of loving our neighbor which Jesus called the 2nd greatest commandment. Everyone desires respect, and anyone will be more receptive to Jesus, if they first feel loved and respected for who they are.
Lord, show us how we can become all things to all people, so that we may reflect the compassion of Jesus, wherever we go. Amen
